


Day 089

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [89]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:01:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23381998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [89]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 089

The Arishok watched as Kirkwall disappeared into the distance. He, like his predecessor, had failed his mission in the south, but unlike his predecessor, he was not carelessly destroying things in retribution. Failure was a part of life, and the will of the Qun was to always learn from setbacks. Once he would have reacted as the previous Arishok had, the wronged souls of an entire family could attest to that. Once he had given up on life, content to sit by and embrace death. But it was at his lowest moment that he had met the wardens, The Warden specifically. Paragon of his people.

The Warden had shown him that hope remained, that failure was not the same was defeat. 

“What is the Blight?” the old Arishok had asked. The Beresaad had gone to find the answer, one Sten had returned.

“The Blight,” he had reported, “is the legacy of Tevinter’s arrogance, it is the corruption of all and the failure of humans to become civilized. It is the reason we must destroy the mage kings before they, in turn, destroy the world. The Blight is a disease that kills the body, mind and soul of its victims. It is the fury of a dragon bent on tearing down the pitiable society of humankind. But most of all, The Blight is the light that reveals the true nature of anything caught in its path. The worthy unite to fight, the weak fracture and fight amongst themselves. It is the reason we need strong leaders who command loyalty and respect.”

The Viddasala was livid at the failure of the Vidithari for their failure. For destroying what they were meant to recover. She said they were not fit to be anything but Athlok. They did not understand the will of the Qun. The Arishok understood her words, once he might have agreed with them. But every blade came from the fire too dull to use, it had to be honed by a master. Everyone stumbled in the dark before being shown the light.

The Vidithari did not yet understand the way of the Qun. They thought that by personal achievement they could set themselves apart. That standing alone meant standing above. A man alone in a field may look tall in comparison but he was a gnat compared to a man lifted on the backs of a nation. They did not understand but they would learn. They had failed, not it was time for them to learn.

The Arishok saw the raw skill, he knew what their fate must be. He would make them begin at the bottom, place them in school among the children of the Qun. If they could master humility, and thus, gain mastery over themselves.

The Arishok took a moment of pause. All this time he had been looking at the failures of his predecessor, feeling as though he were superior for not making the same mistakes, though in truth, he had. He was no better than the former Arishok, and he must remember that. His advantage was not innate, but a result of his past failures. They who have failed most are the wisest.

The Arishok knew what was to happen with the South. It was a constant source of tension among the Triumvirate. The South must be allowed to fail, if they learned from their failures, then peaceful conversion would be possible, if they failed to learn, then it must be the way of blades.


End file.
